Colum Eastwood says SDLP was ‘squeezed’ after GFA as ‘extremes were indulged’

The Foyle MP made the remarks at the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee on Wednesday after being asked about the role of the SDLP by the committee’s chair Simon Hoare.

"So what's the role of the SDLP? Well 25 years on, yes, we have been squeezed. The UUP have been squeezed. I think, there is no point rehearsing all of this but there was a period after the GFA when the extremes were indulged too much, where you would have Seamus Mallon and David Trimble sitting in the First Minister’s office trying to run the place, turning on the TV, and there is Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness walking up Downing Street, all the time, you know.

"So the oxygen for the kind of democratic centre was taken away and given to those people who continued to use issues like decommissioning and other things to keep the attention on them and that had an electoral outcome which I think we are still suffering,” said the SDLP leader.

Mr. Eastwood made the comments as part of NIACs inquiry on the effectiveness of the institutions of the GFA.

He said that despite the electoral squeeze that has been suffered by the SDLP over the past 25 years progress can still be made.

"Regardless of all of that, 25 years on, I think we spent an awful lot of time over the past year, and it was great to have all the presidents, senators and everybody here, but, I think, for my generation and generations that are coming on now, I think, we are very grateful that there is peace, but they are also saying now: what's next?...25 years ago for a 20 year old is the same as 100 years ago.

"It just doesn't matter and we have to kind of bank that and move forward. It was never supposed to be like a static thing, the peace process. You have to keep moving forward.”

The Foyle MP told the committee he believes the next stage in the development of the peace process will be a debate on constitutional change and claimed the SDLP is the ‘only party interested in building a new Ireland but also anti-sectarian and social democratic’.

"From my perspective I think we are in a period now where we will begin, if it hasn't already begun, a very live conversation about constitutional change.

"So from the SDLP's perspective, I think, we are the only party that are interested in building a new Ireland but also anti-sectarian and social democratic.

"I think that is a unique role that we will play in the future conversation about constitutional change. I think we have always been the persuaders and I think we will be the persuaders again in that conversation.

"We have already begun that. I actually see this conversation about a new Ireland as a process of reconciliation, as the next stage in the peace process, in the development of the GFA. I think more and more people are coming to that position today.”

Low productivity particularly damaging for Derry, says Colum Eastwood